Not likely. Monster-movie scenes of mass panicâpeople shoving, tipping over baby carriages, trampling old ladiesâare wildly unrealistic, say disaster researchers. People rarely become hysterical during disastersâeven if they are inwardly terrified. Interviews with crash survivors compiled by the National Transportation Safety Board reveal little panic. Individuals who survived the World Trade Center attack report that most people remained calm as they evacuated the burning buildings; they helped strangers, passed around bottled water, made room for emergency workers.

Why don't people stampede when faced with death? In times of crisis, the rules of ordinary life persist. Most people don't abandon routine behaviors readily: In the evacuation of the Twin Towers, many workers paused to shut down their computers. One group on the 86th floor retreated to the conference room to debate their options before leaving.

In fact, crises often foster uniquely social behaviors. Surprisingly, a common first response to a fire is not a dash toward the exit but an attempt to regroup with friends. People also "mill" or spontaneously form small groups to share information and discuss what to do next. Given this reflexive social impulse, every-man-for-himself behavior isâthankfullyâfar less common than we think.